additionally, i've read plenty of ancient texts. gilgamesh, the old testament, but especially classical greek, etc. i read tens of thousands of words from ancient texts at college. tens of thousands. maybe more.

nearly every ancient civilization was religiously ordered.
agriculture and religion are commonly regarded as major factors in creating cities, which allow for a surplus of and a diferentiation of labor. they made civilization.

IE it took us out of the stone age by moving us away from hunting and gathering.

it's quite a well documented phenomenon, and frankly it ought to seem like common sense if you've got a strong enough base of knowledge on the subject.

ancient peoples almost universally believed that the world and life were controlled by gods. read their texts and you'll find this to be the case.

let me put it this way

if you went to school and studied the stuff, the very basic principals i put out in my posts are some of the things you'd learn in your first day of class.

do some research, man.

you guys sh#t all over religion, yet you've clearly got a very naive understanding of what it is that religions do or have done. you get caught up in the current workings of religion, and base your understanding of religion as such.

religions generate patterns of belief. they turned an unrelated group of people into "We." until religion came around that hadn't really occurred.
people settled in nomadic groups among family members until the advent of the city, which came about primarily because of farming and religion (literally one of the first things you're taught when you study ancient history, mind you.)

if you don't believe me, again, do your own research.

you'll find the same principals that mr jefferies and i are proposing are some of the most basic in this particular area of academia.

i'm fully expecting people to insult my education by telling me i'm full of BS, rofl.

it's an easy leap to make when you've got a modest understanding of the way ancient peoples developed into civilizations.

people used to live in family groups and wander from place to place

stone tools
caves
etc. they hunted and gathered from the wild

people eventually settled into permanent residences. they started to farm, and they began to write, and they developed culture. nearly universal to ancient civilizations was religiousness or spirituality.

what was stone henge?
the pyramids?
the mayan temples?

religious centers

If someone wants to make the argument that religion is no longer necessary, fine (though I disagree with disallowing people the right to practice theirs.) But to claim that it hasn't been crucial in bringing small groups of (initially hunter/gatherers, later more agrarian) together to form larger communities of people with common (religious) beliefs, exposes a lack of understanding of essential ancient history.

the problem its not religion itself, its extremism... religion serves a purpose, it contains humans most primitive instincts, the belief of a higher being judging your actions at the end of your life and rewarding you accordingly is the best deterrant from crimes.... some doctrines pray love, some pray the sword if you dont agree with thier views, those are the ones that should be erradicated...

We shouldn't bash religion since it has many good things to offer society if it was practiced with reasonable measure. The ten commandments don't seem like bad things. I believe religion allows people hope and keeps them moving forward in a world that is a piece of sh*t, anyway. I believe religion provides some stability in this f*cked up world, and I must admit I don't like the direction this world is heading in. Let's just say, it seems like many people are throwing morals and ethics out the window, without realizing the important role they play in society. I think religion definitely offers good things to people when practiced with reasonable measure.

the problem its not religion itself, its extremism... religion serves a purpose, it contains humans most primitive instincts, the belief of a higher being judging your actions at the end of your life and rewarding you accordingly is the best deterrant from crimes.... some doctrines pray love, some pray the sword if you dont agree with thier views, those are the ones that should be erradicated...

The paradox is that those who dont follow their religion too strictly are the ok ones. Their beliefs are have little say in their daily lives.
Its only the crazy ones who live their lives strictly according to their faith. They either say religion stops them from killing people, or kill people in the name of God.

Religious nuts are as immune to that doc as they are a rational discussion.
But mocking, and that crappy documentary only makes them more determined to act crazy imo.
Most people arent very accepting of challenges to their opinions when they are slapped in the face with it. Even less so when it is seen as an immoral threat to what they consider their scared righteous truth.

If someone wants to make the argument that religion is no longer necessary, fine (though I disagree with disallowing people the right to practice theirs.) But to claim that it hasn't been crucial in bringing small groups of (initially hunter/gatherers, later more agrarian) together to form larger communities of people with common (religious) beliefs, exposes a lack of understanding of essential ancient history.

Do you believe in Affirmative Action?

Unless one believes that that advancement will eventually bring forth the downfall of mankind. You know the takers vs leavers theories...